Friday, March 17, 2006

New Track du Jour - Party Owls

Artist: Party Owls
Track: Spray Coat
Location: Houston
Date: 03-17-2006
Comment: The Party Owls were the most memorable of Houston punk bands not only for their humorous communal shows and house parties but also because their members went on to do interesting things around Houston and beyond. Frontman Rob Rice left the band and the scene first for more verdant if not wetter frontiers in Seattle - he ran a record store there, hitting the town a few years before grunge took that scene to new heights. A few other members went on to form Sugar Shack which made it out of the urban sprawl of Harris County a few times, and had some recording success with the help of Tim Kerr and Estrus Records. JR Delgado went on to run the Axiom, founded in the same building as the second (or maybe third) location of the old Houston punk club, the Caberet Voltaire. The Axiom is still going today as the home of Infernal Bridegroom Productions although it is no longer managed by JR. JR did however have a soon to be legendary 50th Birthday Party over the last winter Holidays where many old Houston punk legends reunited.

I was first introduced to the Party Owls at one of their House Parties in the then creepy area of midtown Houston. I was all of 17 and eyes wide open at the freak fest in front of me. This song "Spray Coat" stuck with me. My band de Schmog covered it when we were honored to play a show with Sugar Shack at Fitzgerald's in the mid-90's.

This is part of a non-linear "Lexington Street" series of Track du Jours. JR Delgado was a long time resident of Lexington. He also worked at the Kinko's across the street (thank you JR!). The Party Owls was a major reason I got into this whole mess of playing shows and what not. They influenced many other Lexington Street musicians, including Johnathan Sage also of de Schmog as well as the Sprawl guys and others.

Thanks to Justin for providing a second Party Owls mp3 which may see it's way to this site down the road.

click below to listen (requires FLASH)...
track du jour
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3 comments:

Ramon Medina - LP4 said...

We've covered the Party Owls many a time. A landmark bands from Houston! Whose first EP is a classic. The LP you picture is pretty cool but it's missing spraycoat, Sodom Butt Buddies, Texas pride et al.

We actually played a show, aaages ago with the Poor Dumb Bastards and actually got an impromptu Party Owls reunion. It was pretty fucking amazing.

Anyhow, glad someone's giving that band some much deserved love. To me the party Owls were just as improtant as Black Flag, The Minutemen, or any other national act.

Just remember
"Shiner Beer Kepps up full of cheer and we, yeah , we really like it here."

2:57 PM, March 17, 2006
Herr Blind Metzger said...

Those guys were part of the reason I got into this nonsense too. I cut my teeth on that EP, and I agree with Ramon that they were as important to me as other seminal bands of that era. Houston really was a big home for punk...Really Red, DRI, The Judys, The Mydolls...and on...indeedy. I can still hear the sax today. Genius.

12:00 AM, March 22, 2006
Anonymous said...

I can't believe JR is 50!

-former member of the Moist Owlettes

11:10 PM, May 16, 2006

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